Displacement Device for Displacing, in Particular Sliding and/or Opening and Closing at Least One Drawer, Lid, Door, or Similar

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a displacement device for displacing, in particular sliding and/or for opening and closing at least one drawer ( 2 ), lid, door or similar, which can be located in an item of furniture ( 3 ), such as for example a cupboard, in particular a kitchen cupboard, or in a vehicle, such as for example a commercial vehicle, in particular a service or emergency vehicle. Said device comprises at least one electromotive drive unit, which acts on a transmission element to displace the drawer or drawers ( 2 ), lid, door or similar. The device is provided with a guide element ( 5 ), which is displaceably mounted in a guide and on which the drive unit ( 4 ) acts.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a displacement device for moving, particularlyfor sliding and/or opening and closing at least one drawer, lid, door orthe like, which can be arranged in a piece of furniture such as, forinstance, a cabinet, especially a kitchen cabinet, or in a vehicle suchas, for example, a utility vehicle, especially a service vehicle or anemergency rescue vehicle, comprising at least one electromotive driveunit that acts upon a transmission element in order to move the at leastone drawer, lid, door or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

Such a displacement device is disclosed, for example, in German utilitymodel DE 91 13 223 U1. There, a friction wheel whose axis of rotation isperpendicular to the pull-out direction of the drawer and which isarranged in the area underneath the appertaining drawer serves as thetransmission element. Underneath or on the bottom of the drawer, thereis a strip or the like with which the friction wheel is in frictionalcontact. The drawer is pulled in or out, depending on the direction ofrotation of the electromotive drive unit and thus on the direction ofrotation of the friction wheel.

TECHNICAL PROBLEM

This displacement device known from the state of the art for purposes ofsliding a drawer entails excessively high wear and tear of the frictionwheel, causing the displacement device to malfunction. Suchmalfunctioning occurs when the friction wheel no longer exertssufficient friction onto the strip arranged underneath or on the bottomof the drawer, The lack of frictional contact then means that the drawercan no longer be opened or closed properly.

Furthermore, a desk is disclosed in German patent application DE 11 44892 A. This desk has a drawer pedestal and pushbuttons arranged in thetabletop that serve to push the drawers in and out. A motor uses a shaftand sprocket wheel to drive a chain that, via another sprocket wheel andanother shaft, causes a drive gear wheel to rotate. The drive gear wheelmeshes with a rack attached to the bottom of a drawer, as a result ofwhich the drawers can be moved into and open and closed position.

The many individual parts of the device according to this state of theart have proven to be disadvantageous since they cause the entire deviceto be highly prone to malfunctions.

OBJECTIVE AT HAND

Therefore, the invention is based on the objective of creating a deviceof the above-mentioned type by means of which it is ensured that adrawer, lid, door or the like can be moved smoothly and flawlesslythroughout its entire service life.

THE INVENTION AND ITS ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS

This objective is achieved by means of a device having the features ofClaim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the invention can be found in thesubordinate claims.

Since a transmission element is provided that is movably arranged in aguide and that is acted upon by the drive unit, only negligible wear andtear occur due to friction, so that the sliding of the furniturecomponent is ensured throughout its entire service life. Thesusceptibility to malfunction is also greatly reduced since considerablyfewer individual parts are needed for moving the component than in thestate of the art.

According to a first advantageous embodiment of the invention, a drivecable is employed as the transmission element. In addition to exhibitingonly negligible wear and tear, such drive cables have the advantage thatthey do not require much space in order to be arranged on the piece offurniture or on the furniture component, since their dimensions are verysmall. Moreover, the flexibility of the trans-mission elements entailsthe advantage that they can be attached to the piece of furniture orvehicle in different arrangements.

In an advantageous manner, the drive unit has a pinion that meshes withthe drive cable, thus converting the rotational movement of the driveshaft of the drive into a translatory motion of the drive cable. As aresult, movement, especially sliding, is made possible to, for example,open and close the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like.

As an alternative, it is also possible to provide a push-pull cable asthe trans-mission element. Such push-pull cables can likewise beemployed in a simple manner by a drive for moving at least one drawer,lid, door or the like. In the simplest example of this, a rack can bearranged on the drive end of the push-pull cable and said rack can belikewise slid translatorially by a pinion mounted on a drive shaft ofthe drive, thus transmitting its movement to the push-pull cable andthus to the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like.

It has likewise been found to be advantageous for the drive to beconfigured so as to be self-locking. This measure means that thefurniture component cannot be manually slid when the displacement deviceis in the normal operating state. This provides an effective protectionagainst theft of objects placed in the drawer or behind the lid or doorof the piece of furniture or of the vehicle, since movement is onlypossible by using the electromotive displacement device.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, thetransmission element is arranged in a guide rail that serves as a guidefor the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like. This measure furtherminimizes the space requirements for the displacement device since thetransmission element is arranged in the hollow space of the guide railor similar guide and consequently, there is no need for additional spacefor the transmission element.

In order to allow an exact adjustment, especially when the deviceaccording to the invention is installed, an adjustment mechanism isprovided on the guide or on the guide rail. By means of this adjustmentmechanism, when the device is being installed, it can be affixed in itsoptimal position that permits a smooth movement of the drawer, lid, dooror the like.

In this context, it has proven to be practical to configure thisadjustment mechanism as an elongated hole that matches a correspondingscrew connection or clamp connection. Such connections can be madesimply and without involving much material or costs.

In order to mount the transmission element so that it can run smoothlyand also to protect it against external influences, a guide tube isprovided for the transmission element. This tube preferably extendsalong the entire path of travel of the trans-mission element.

The guide tube has an opening through which the drive acts upon thetransmission element. This measure ensures that the at least one drawer,lid, door or the like can be moved while the impairment due to externalinfluences is minimized.

Advantageously, the guide tube runs back along the guide rail, as aresult of which the space requirements of the device according to theinvention are further minimized.

It has proven to be particularly advantageous for the guide tube to behinged to the guide rail. As a result, the position of the guide tube isfixed, thus ensuring a reliable movement of the drawer, lid, door or thelike in case of any vibrations that might occur, thus minimizing thesusceptibility to malfunctions.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, thetransmission element is attached, on the one hand, to the at least onedrawer, lid, door or the like and, on the other hand, to the piece offurniture or to the vehicle. This ensures that, even after a prolongedperiod of operation of the displacement device, the at least one drawer,lid, door or similar piece of furniture always travels back to itsoriginal starting position and does not position itself incorrectly inor on the piece of furniture or the vehicle. Such incorrect positioningcan lead to injuries particularly if the drawer, lid, door or the likeis not properly closed since the front panel of the drawer, lid, door orthe like is no longer flush with the surface of the piece of furnitureor with the surface of the vehicle, but rather protrudes from it.

In order to ensure a particularly smooth movement of the at least onedrawer, lid, door or the like, at least two transmission elements areprovided for the movement of the at least one drawer, lid, door or thelike.

It has likewise proven to be advantageous for the transmission elementto be arranged on the bottom of a drawer. Owing to the compact design ofthe trans-mission element, this does not have a detrimental impact onthe overall height of the drawer. Consequently, an efficient utilizationof the storage space in the drawer is ensured.

In this context, it has been found to be advantageous for thetransmission element to be arranged in the center of the bottom of thedrawer. Particularly when only one transmission element is utilized,this allows a smooth sliding of the drawer.

Furthermore, it has proven to be advantageous for the transmissionelement to be arranged in the rear area of the bottom of the drawersince this maximizes the path of travel of the drawer.

Alternatively, it is of course also possible for the transmissionelement to be arranged on the side of the bottomi of the drawer,especially when two transmission element are used. Here, bothtransmission elements should be arranged laterally and across from eachother on the drawer. This ensures a particularly smooth sliding of thedrawer, as a result of which uniform force can be applied onto thedrawer when it is slid.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention,the trans-mission element is arranged in a guide rail that serves toguide the drawer, lid, door or the like. This embodiment is veryefficient since here, the transmission element does not take up anyspace inside the drawer. This measure also further maximizes the storagespace available in the drawer. Especially in the case of a drive cabledrive, the latter can be very easily laid in the hollow guide rails.

According to another advantageous embodiment of the invention, theelectromotive drive can be attached to the piece of furniture or to thevehicle. As a result, no energy is needed in order to move theelectromotive drive itself.

As an alternative, it naturally can also be provided for theelectromotive drive to be attached to the drawer, lid, door or the likethat is to be moved. This can be particularly advantageous during repairor maintenance work to the drive since then it is easily accessible.

It has proven to be particularly advantageous to arrange theelectromotive drive in the area between the piece of furniture or thevehicle and the drawer, lid, door or the like. This arrangement takesesthetic considerations into account since the drive remains out ofsight in all positions of the moveable drawer, lid, door or the like.

In order for the moveable drawer, lid, door or the like to remainfunctional even if the displacement device and especially thetransmission element or the electromotive drive malfunction, theelectromotive drive can be uncoupled from the transmission elementand/or the transmission element can be uncoupled from the at least onedrawer, lid, door or the like.

Furthermore, it has been found to be advantageous for a catch attachedto the drawer, lid, door or the like to be connected to the transmissionelement. The movement of the transmission element is transmitted by thecatch to the drawer, lid, door or the like.

When two transmission elements are employed, it is provided for catchesto be attached to the drawer, lid, door or the like at two differentplaces. This likewise ensures a smooth and trouble-free movement of thedrawer, lid, door or the like.

It is also proposed that it should be possible to move the drawer, lid,door or the like manually, preferably by pushing or pulling, in case thedisplacement device is defective.

The invention also relates to a drawer, lid, door or the like having thedisplacement device as described here.

The invention likewise relates to a piece of furniture, especiallykitchen furniture, for instance, a kitchen cabinet, and to a vehicle,for example, a utility vehicle, especially a service vehicle or anemergency rescue vehicle, having such a furniture component.

EMBODIMENTS

Other objectives, advantages, features and application possibilities ofthe present invention can be gleaned from the description below of anembodiment making reference to the drawings. In this context, all of thedescribed and/or depicted features, either alone or in any desiredmeaningful combination, constitute the subject matter of the presentinvention, also independently of their compilation in the claims or inthe way their referring back to the preceding claims.

The following is shown:

FIGS. 1 to 3 a cabinet with a possible embodiment of a displacementdevice according to the invention for the translatory sliding of adrawer in various views:

FIGS. 4 to 6 an embodiment of the device according to the inventionarranged on a drawer in the manner of a drive cable drive, in variousviews;

FIGS. 7 to 9 another embodiment of the device according to the inventionin the manner of a drive cable drive for drawers, in various views.

FIGS. 1 to 3 depict a piece of furniture 3 which accommodates a slidabledrawer 2. This drawer 2 can be opened and closed by an electric motoremploying a drive unit 4 of a device 30 according to the inventionlocated inside the piece of furniture 3.

FIGS. 4 to 6 show a displacement device 30 arranged on the piece offurniture 3 or on the furniture component 1 configured as a drawer 2,whereby the trans-mission elements 5 are configured as drive cables 7that can travel in the guide tubes 12. One end of the drive cables 7 isattached to a catch 20 situated in the rear area of the drawer 2. Byattaching the catch 20 in the rear area of the drawer 2, the drawer 2can be pulled out of the piece of furniture 3 to the maximum extent.

When the drawer 2 is in the closed state, the drive cables 7 areaccommodated almost entirely—except for the section hinged on the catch20—in the appertaining guide tube 12. When the drive 4 is thenactivated, the drive cables 7 are moved out of their guide tubes 12 bymeans of a transmission member 13. Since the drive cables 7 are hingedonto the drawer 2 by means of the catches 20, the drawer 2 likewisetravels out of its closed position as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 into an openposition (not shown here). In order to close the drawer 2, the drive 4is reversed, so that the transmission element 13 changes its directionof rotation and the drive cable 7 travels hack again into the guide tube12 until the drawer 2 has reached its closed position as shown in FIGS.6 to 8

FIGS. 7 to 9 depict another embodiment of the device according to theinvention.

FIG. 7 shows a displacement device 30 for a drawer (not shown here).This displacement device 30 consists essentially of two guide rails 15that can be arranged between a piece of furniture and a drawer mountedtherein. The drive 4 for the displacement device 30 is arranged on therear guide rail 15 depicted in FIG. 7. By means of a pinion 14, thedrive 4 acts directly upon a drive cable 7 that can be slid back andforth inside the guide rail 16. By means of a drive shaft 6, the drive 4acts in the same manner upon a drive cable 7 that is mounted in theother guide rail 15 so that it can be slid back and forth. The drivecables 7 are hinged on the guide rails 15 with a catch (not shown here),so that their movement is transmitted to the guide rails.

The drive cables 7 here are accommodated in a guide tube 12, as a resultof which they are protected against external influences. The guide tubes12 run back along the guide rail 15, which results in a compact designfor the entire displacement device 30. The guide tubes 12 haveattachment means 32 with which they can be attached to the drawer or tothe piece of furniture. The guide rails 15 also have attachment elements31 by means of which the displacement device 30 can be affixed between apiece of furniture and a drawer. Here, the attachment elements 31 areaffixed to the piece of furniture while the guide rails 15 are attachedto the drawer (not shown here).

The position depicted in FIG. 7 shows the displacement device 30 in itsclosed state. For the most part, the drive cables 7 here are pushed intoguide tubes 12 that run back along the guide rails 15.

When the drive 4 is activated to move the displacement device 30 intoits open position as shown in FIG. 9, then pinions 14 engage with thedrive cables 7. This causes the rotational movement of the drive 4 to beconverted into a translatory motion of the drive cables 7. In thisprocess, the drive cables 7 present in the guide tubes 12 that run backalong the guide rails 15 are moved into the guide rails 15. A guide tube12 for the drive cables 7 is also provided inside of the guide rails 15so as to protect the cables against external influences and damage.

In order to once again move the entire displacement device 30 out of itsopen position as shown in FIG. 9 into the closed position shown in FIG.7, the drive 4 is reversed so that the drive cables 7 are pushed out ofthe guide tube 12 present in the guide rail 15 back into the guide tube12 that runs back along the guide rail 15.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 furniture component-   2 drawer-   3 piece of furniture-   4 drive motor-   5 transmission element-   6 drive shaft-   7 drive cable-   11 bottom of the drawer-   12 guide tube-   13 transmission member-   14 pinion-   15 guide rail-   20 catch-   25 attachment element-   28 drive shaft-   30 displacement device-   31 attachment element-   31 attachment element

1. A displacement device for moving, so as to open and/or close at leastone drawer, lid, door or the like, comprising at least one electromotivedrive unit that acts upon a transmission element in order to move the atleast one drawer, lid, door or the like, characterized in that thetransmission element is movably arranged in a guide and that is actedupon by the drive unit.
 2. The displacement device according to claim 1,wherein the transmission element is a drive cable.
 3. The displacementdevice according to claim 2, wherein the drive unit has a pinion thatmeshes with the drive cable.
 4. The displacement device according toclaim 1, wherein the transmission element is a push-pull cable.
 5. Thedisplacement device according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit isconfigured so as to be self-locking.
 6. The displacement deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the transmission element is arranged in aguide rail that serves as a guide for the at least one drawer, lid, dooror the like.
 7. The displacement device according to claim 6, furthercomprising an adjustment mechanism to adjust the displacement device onthe guide or on the guide rail.
 8. The displacement device according toclaim 7, characterized in that the adjustment mechanism is configured asan elongated hole that matches a corresponding screw connection or clampconnection.
 9. The displacement device according to claim 1, wherein thetransmission element is in a guide tube that extends along substantiallythe entire path of travel of the transmission element.
 10. Thedisplacement device according to claim 9, characterized in that theguide tube has an opening through which the drive unit acts upon thetransmission element.
 11. The displacement device according to claim 9,characterized in that the guide tube runs back along the guide rail. 12.The displacement device according to claim 11, characterized in that theguide tube is hinged to the guide rail.
 13. The displacement deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the transmission element is attached, onthe one hand, to the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like and, onthe other hand, to cabinetry of a piece of furniture or a vehicle. 14.The displacement device according to claim 1, further comprising asecond transmission element to move the at least one drawer, lid, dooror the like.
 15. The displacement device according to claim 1, whereinthe transmission element is arranged on the bottom of a drawer.
 16. Thedisplacement device according to claim 12, wherein the transmissionelement is arranged in a position of the bottom of the drawer selectedfrom the rear area, the center, and the side of the bottom of thedrawer.
 17. (canceled)
 18. (canceled)
 19. The displacement deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is attached to cabinetry ofa piece of furniture or a vehicle.
 20. The displacement device accordingto claim 1, wherein the drive unit is attached to the at least onedrawer, lid, door or the like.
 21. The displacement device according toclaim 19, wherein the drive unit is arranged in an area between thecabinetry and the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like.
 22. Thedisplacement device according to claim 1, wherein the transmissionelement can be uncoupled from (i) the at least one drawer, lid, door orthe like, (ii) the drive unit, or (iii) either the at least one drawer,lid, door or the like or the drive unit.
 23. The displacement deviceaccording to claim 1, further comprising a catch attached to the atleast one drawer, lid, door or the like that is connected to thetransmission element, so that the catch transmits the movement of thetransmission element to the at least one drawer, lid, door or the like.24. (canceled)
 25. A drawer, lid, door or the like, comprising adisplacement device having at least one electromotive drive unit thatacts upon a transmission element in order to move the at least onedrawer, lid, door or the like, characterized in that the transmissionelement is movably arranged in a guide and that is acted upon by thedrive unit.
 26. A piece of furniture, comprising a drawer, lid, door orthe like according to claim
 25. 27. A vehicle, comprising a drawer, lid,door or the like according to claim
 25. 28. The displacement deviceaccording to claim 20, wherein the drive unit is arranged in an areabetween the cabinetry and the at least one drawer, lid, door or thelike.